Artificial leather



E. & J. R. OUSHMAN. MANUFACTURING ARTIFICIAL LEATHER.

No. 23,454. Patented Apr. 5, 1859.

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Specification of Letters Patent No. 23,454, dated ,April 5, 1859.

To all vwhom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EIHRAIM CUsn MAN and Jot-IN R. CUSHMAN, of Amherst, in the county of Hampshire and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Machines for Manufacturing Artificial Leather, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a plan of a cylinder paper machine with our improvements attached. Fig. 2 a longitudinal vertical section through the same 011 the line a", as of Fig. 1. Fig. 3, a plan of the scratcher or card employed to loosen up the particles of leather from the surface of the felt. Fig. 4, a diagram illustrating the construction and operation of certain parts of a cylinder paper machine.

In the machines heretofore employed for the manufacture of paper and paper board known as cylinder paper machines, a film or sheet is taken up from the pulp upon the surface of a perforated cylinder ((J Fig. 4:) from which it is transferred to an endless apron of felt cloth H, and from this cloth it is again taken by the cylinder or roll F, the felt passing immediately down to the guide rolls beneath. It is found however where these machines are employed for the manufacture of artificial leather out of a pulp composed of ground leather scraps that the film adheres to the felt cloth more tenaciously than a film composed of ordinary paper pulp, and in consequence cannot be taken up from it by the roll F, or if it be so taken by this roll it is liable to break and fall off again. This diflicult-y appears to be occasioned by a want of cohesion in the fresh made film and by a want of adhesion between it and the surface of the roll F and it is furthermore augmented by the weight of the film which operates to keep it in contact with the felt and also to slip down from off the surface of the roll F after becoming attached thereto.

To remedy this difficulty is the object of the first part of our invention which consists in carrying the felt a greater distance around the upper roll, so that when it leaves this roll the Weight of the film shall no longer operate to cause it to adhere to the felt. The distance which the felt should thus be carried up will vary with the character of the pulp employed; where it is com- I posed entirely of leather, I have found it necessary, in some cases to carry the felt up to a point above a horizontal plane passing through the axis of the lower roll as in Fig. 2. here there is a large admixture of fibrous vegetable material in the pulp aless distance will answer the purpose.

A second difiiculty has been experienced in the operation of these machines upon leather pulp by which the felt was soon rendered inoperative 5 this difficulty arose from the accumulation .of small particles of leather upon the surface -of the blanket and which the ordinary felt washer was unable to dislodge or remove.

To remedy this difficulty is the object of the second partof our invention which consists in loosening up the particles of leather from the surface of the felt by a soratcher or card applied to its surface before it enters the felt washer, and by which the particles are partly removed therefrom and partly left in a condition to be readily detached by the felt washer.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand our invention we will proceed to describe the manner in which we have carried it out.

Our machine is represented in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, A representing the frame work-B the pulp vat and C the perforated cylindernpon the surface of which the film is taken up from the vat. The felt roll D is hung in hearings in two arms a, pivoted at I), to the posts E, rising from the frame work. The endless felt or blanket H, upon which the film is taken off the perforated cylinder passes over the roll D and moving in the direction of its arrow carries the film to the roll F by which it is taken off the felt.

G is a roll immediately beneath the roll F, the two being arranged to put a determinate pressure upon the felt and film, but this and other parts of the machine the operation of which do not vary from that of the well known cylinder paper machine will not be particularly described.

After passing the bite between the rolls oted to the frame work at f, and are forced toward the roll F, by spring N, secured to the frame at g, and bearing against the posts M. The film upon the felt is thus pressed up against the roll F, from n, to 0, and is thus caused to adhere so closely to it that when the felt leaves the roll F, it does not carry the film with it, the adhesion of the latter to the roll being furthermore aided by the position of the rolls L, and F, with respect to each other, the weight of the film no longer tending either to keep it in contactwith the felt nor to cause it to slip down from off the surface of the roll F, when once attached thereto. After the film has been taken from it the blanket being guided by the carrying rolls 0, (Z, 6, passes over the felt washer I, constructed as seen in section in Fig. 2, which revolves rapidly in contact with it, a stream of clean water being thrown upon the felt at a point directly opposite that where the washer I comes in contact with it, Before reaching this felt washer we cause the blanket to pass in contact with the teeth of a scratcher O, which is seen detached in Fig. 3, and is held in place by brackets 2' attached to the frame, the ends 7), of the scratcher bar being inserted in notches in the bracket.

The face of the scratcher which bears upon the surface of the blanket is composed of teeth so arranged as not to tear or injure it, but to scratch up and loosen the fibers of leather which may adhere to its surface. This scratcher may be made in various ways but I prefer the form shown in the drawings, in which the scratching surface is made of a strip of ordinary card clothing Z, set with the teeth inclining sidewise or in a direction at right angles to that of the motion of the blanket. Were they inclined upward in a vertical plane and in a direction contrary to that of the motion of the blanket they would take too rank a hold and injure or wear its surface and were they inclined with the motion of the blanket they would not operate to loosen the fibers as desired.

The roll K serves to consolidate the film upon the perforated cylinder and to press out a portion of its water, it also in conjunction with the roll ,P, serves to press out the superfluous water from' the blanket as it comes from the washer I.

Operation: The parts being geared toi gether and to a suitable motive power to revolve 1n the dlrectlon of the arrows and with the veloclties whlch they would have in an ordinary paper board machine, the perforated cylinder brings up a film from the pulp vat which is partially consolidated and deprived of its water by the roll K, which revolves with a surface mot-ion equal to that of the cylinder and in contact with the film upon it. As the cylinder continues to revolve the film is brought in contact with the blanket by which it is taken off the cylinder at the point 8, and carried to the rolls Gr, and F. By means of the roll L, the film upon the felt is kept pressed up against the surface of the roll F, above the point where it is liable to slip off when left by the felt. The film thus brought to the roll F is thin and with little strength and consistence but this roll is allowed to revolve until a sufficient number of them has accumulated to form a sheet of the required thickness. \Vithout stopping the machine, the belt of leather thus formed upon the surface of the roll is then cut longitudinally of the roll and spread out into a sheet. As the blanket H, passes on from the roll L, to the felt washer the surface which receives and carries the film of leather is caused to pass over the scratcher O, and in contact with its teeth a large portion of the fibers and particles of leather which were left ad hering to the surface of the felt are taken off and the remainder are so loosened up as to be easily detached by the felt washer to the action of which the blanket is immediately thereafter subjected. The blanket now passes between the rolls P and K by which it is deprived of its superfluous moisture and the operation continues. WVhen the scratcher becomes foul and it is taken out to be cleaned, its place is immediately supplied by another.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent as an improvement in machines for the manufacture of artificial leather is 1. Holding the felt H, up to the roll F, for the purpose substantially herein set forth.

2. Removing the adhering fibers from the surface of the felt H, before it reaches the felt washer by means of the scratcher O, or its equivalent.

EPHRAIM CUSHHAN. J. R. CUSHMAN.

Vitnesses:

M. B. CUsHMAN, E. P. OUSHMAN. 

